Your first year of university is a lot of fun. A lot to take in, but everything is new. You’re in a new location, with new pals and new classes.

Although you might not be thinking about work experience right now, it’s actually really important! Why? Becuase employers often get in touch with past placement students and interns when hiring for graduate positions.

Getting work experience before you graduate will put you in a really good position when the time comes to find yourself a graduate scheme or a job after graduation. So we’ve put together a checklist to help you succeed.

You can download your first-year checklist below:

What’s in the checklist?

Think of this checklist as your very own cheatsheet for employability and to help you prepare for placements, internships and insights applications.

It covers a wide range of tips and actions for you to complete while you’re in first year. This includes:

• UPDATE YOUR CV: Have you updated your CV since going to university?
• CREATE A LINKEDIN PROFILE: Think social media, but for professionals. LinkedIn is a great platform for networking and discovering market trends.
• TRY YOUR BEST: Aim for a 2:1, but don’t feel bad if things don’t work out. There are plenty of employers out there who’ll offer you a placement or internship regardless of your grade. Take PwC – they’ve removed their entry requirements altogether as their hiring process is based on talent, not your academic background.

Insight days

What are insight days?

Insight days are work experience programmes that are specifically designed for 1st and 2nd year students. They can last anywhere between one and ten days and take place during the university holidays.

If you want to work in accounting, investment banking, engineering, finance or law, an insight day will give you a good idea of what it’s like to work in these industries.

When can you apply for one?

You can apply for an insight between September and March, but competition for places is fierce so we’d recommend looking for vacancies now and applying before the new year. 

To give yourself the best chance of getting onto an insight scheme, start completing the checklist ASAP! Then hop over to our jobs board to see what vacancies are available.

The post Your 1st Year Checklist appeared first on RateMyPlacement.

From dissertations to exams, planning a graduation fit and looking for a graduate job or scheme, we know there’s loads to think about. So to help you get on top of your applications and secure that all-important role, we’ve created your ultimate graduate job timeline.

Inside you’ll find all the key dates and top tips. Click below! It’s free.

Graduate Tips

Once you’ve downloaded your timeline check out all the advice below to help you slay the graduation application process like an absolute boss.

A Guide to Graduate Jobs

Find out everything there is to know about graduate jobs and schemes, the difference, who’s hiring and how to apply.

Writing a Graduate CV

Your staring point: a CV that shows off your skills and grabs an employer’s attention. We’ve also included a free template!

Writing a Graduate Cover Letter

A good CV comes with a great cover letter. Here’s how to write one.

Be Interview Ready

Have you been invited to an interview? That’s great! Here’s everything you should expect including commonly asked questions and how to answer them.

Feeling ready to jump in? We have over 300 graduate roles waiting for your application. Click below to get started.

The post The Ultimate Graduate Job Timeline appeared first on RateMyPlacement.

It’s easy to compare yourself with your friends, who may have landed a placement within the first few months of applying. But for others, they may be on their 100th application. That’s okay. If you fall into one of these categories, this is for you.

There are hundreds of other opportunities out there just for you, whether it feels like it right now or not. You just need to do a little bit of digging – but that’s where we come in. 

Let’s get into it

• Reach out to your university
• Look for alternatives
• Upskilling yourself in other ways
• Focus on your studies

Reach out to your university

If you didn’t manage to secure a placement year, your first point of call is your university.

If your university course has a compulsory placement year, there should be support there to help you every step of the way, whether that’s looking at other options or other ways of helping out.

They may look to see if there are any campus-based opportunities or projects you can take on as part of your placement year.

You’ll still gain the necessary experience you need to snap up a role after graduation.

Don’t assume that your university won’t help you, all university career departments should be, all hands on deck when these unexpected situations happen.

It’s hard not to get wrapped up in emotions application season. Let’s talk.

Look for alternatives

Finding a placement is HARD (speaking from experience). According to the Institute of Student Employers, there are around 91 applicants per role, so it’s super competitive.

If you do miss out, think about the things you were going to gain through doing a placement year and how you can achieve them without doing one.

Ask yourself these questions: 

• Did you have any goals you would’ve liked to set yourself? 
• Was there a certain skill you wanted to learn?
• Did you want to get over your fear of presenting in front of people?
• Was there an area of the business that you were excited about learning about?

Your main goal should of course to be enhance your employability with relevant industry knowledge and real-life work experience. 

So, what can you do to gain this without a placement year? Read on to find out.

Upskilling yourself in other ways

Not doing a placement year isn’t the end of the world, but you’ll need to find ways to stand out above the rest.

Here are some other ways you can gain the skills and industry knowledge without having to do a placement.

These are all great ways to make sure you’re getting the experience you need. You need to make sure you are doing things that other candidates aren’t necessarily doing.

This way you’ll have;

• more experiences and skills to add to your CV
• more to discuss in your interview
• more of a chance to impress your employer.

Go and take control of your career progression, because it’s only you that can make it happen.

Depending on what time you’re reading this, it’s potentially not too late to apply for a placement either. Most of our roles go live between September and February. Check out what’s still available.

Focus on your studies

If your placement isn’t compulsory, you may just have to return to university to complete your final year. Which isn’t a bad thing at all.

With no placement disrupting your university mindset, you can focus on being an academic weapon and spend more time on your readings, essays, coursework, exam prep and of course your big dissertation.

Try and bridge the experience gap by doing as well as you can.

REMINDER

Focus on applying for graduate roles right away. Many students don’t realise that they start to open in early September. Here are some examples of transferable skills that you’ll need to include in your application.

So you’ve now found out about the available opportunities. What are your next steps? Whether that’s looking into insight schemes or reaching out to do some volunteer work, we want you to know.

Not finding a placement is only a small bump in the road, it’s not something you massively need to worry over, either. Just do your best, as that’s all that anyone can ask for.

Remember things happen for a reason, there may be your dream grad role still waiting for you after your final year.

Good Luck!

The post What Happens If I Don’t Get A Placement? appeared first on RateMyPlacement.

This is your guide to the highest-paid work experience schemes in the UK.

• The average salary for placements this year is £20,346 a year
• The average salary for interns this year is slightly higher, at £20,415 on a pro-rata basis

Keep reading for a breakdown of average salary by industry and region…

How did we work out the average salaries?

Last year, over 6,000 students submitted reviews on RateMyPlacement.co.uk about their undergraduate work experience.

In each review, they responded to a series of questions about their role, the company they worked for and the perks of their scheme.

Students also revealed their salary information*, enabling their peers to discover how much they would be paid if they worked for a particular employer, or on a similar scheme.

Using the data from the reviews, we were able to work the average salaries for jobs in different industries, and in various regions across the UK.

*around 5-10% is taken off the top and bottom figures to make averages more realistic.

Highest paid internships and placements

By industry

These are the highest-paying industries for placements and internships in the UK.

Who knew that you could earn over £30k by getting work experience?

Just imagine what you could do with that sort of money… you could be very sensible and put it all in the bank or book an all-expenses paid trip to Dubai.

Highest paid internships by industry

Highest paid placements by industry

By region

These are the average salaries for different regions in the UK. (Bear in mind that London tends to have higher average salaries because the cost of living is more expensive.)

Looking for work experience? Find out more about the Best Student Employers in the UK. They are the creme de la creme when it comes to paid placements and internships.

We believe ALL internships should be paid

At RateMyPlacement.co.uk, we believe that ALL interns and placement students should be paid a fair salary for their work.

During a work experience placement, you will effectively assume the responsibilities of a regular employee – so it’s only fair that you’re rewarded (and paid) like any other worker.

Most companies do now pay their interns a decent wage, and on our jobs page, we don’t advertise any unpaid internships in the UK.

If you have a spare 3.5 minutes, read our blog Why I Regret Doing an Unpaid Internship, written by a member of the RateMyPlacement.co.uk team who did four. Wow.

The post The Highest Paid Internships & Placements in the UK appeared first on RateMyPlacement.

Adulthood comes at you hard and fast. One minute you’re dreaming of what you want to be when you’re older and suddenly the decision, along with where you’re going to relocate to become it, is imminent.

With the UCAS deadline around the corner, we’re here to help you decide which university you should choose, and why. We’d like to introduce to you (drum roll please)… our Best Universities table updated for 2024.

To consider all angles, we looked at the Times Top 100 Universities and ranked them according to the following factors: 

• Times Higher Education ranking
• Student satisfaction
• Graduate prospects
• Average weekly accommodation costs 
• Cost of an ‘inexpensive’ meal
• Cost of a pint (domestic beer)
• Cost of a one-way ticket on local transport
• Cost of a monthly fitness membership
• The total number of nightclubs

We’ve created a detailed index for 2024 covering all of these. So, whether you’re looking for the best place to study or the university with the cheapest pint – we’ve got you covered.

The best UK universities overall

The top 10 universities overall covered a lot of ground. Overall, St Andrews University in Scotland is the best UK university for the second year running, scoring full marks across the board and the best for student satisfaction. This was followed by the University of Sheffield and the University of Bath who both moved their way up into the top three from 2023.

The best UK university for graduate prospects

The area you choose to study in can also have an impact on your post-university career and it’s useful to think of the next steps open to you – especially if you’ve already relocated to University you may want to find a graduate job in your new stix. 

This year, Imperial College London knocked St George’s University off the top spot with the highest graduate prospects in the UK (94.2). The University of Cambridge (93.1) also beat last years’ winners St George’s University of London who moved into third place (92.4).

The best UK universities with the cheapest accommodation

If only studying was the single factor for choosing a university. Unfortunately, the reality of it is that budgeting, finance and cost of living have to be taken into account when choosing the right university for you.

To make things easier, we’ve extracted the top 10 cheapest universities based on their accommodation costs.

As shown above, Staffordshire University, in Stoke-on-Trent, has the most affordable accommodation – costing an average of £80 per week. This is followed by the University of Huddersfield (at £81 per week) and Teesside University (at £88 per week). 

Perhaps unsurprisingly, our top two most expensive accommodations were based in London. LSE was the most expensive at £261 per week, followed by the University of Greenwich (£238 per week) – and then Edinburgh at £222 per week.

The best UK universities for the most affordable lifestyle

What about beyond campus life? Fear not, we know the nightlife, the wind-down opportunities and the local costs also come into play when it comes to opting for the next step in your higher education.

For fitness-minded students, Stirling is still the most affordable monthly fitness membership at £16.99 per month – followed by the University of Portsmouth at £22.60 and the University of Central Lancashire at £23.40. The index also shows that the average cost for students wanting to keep fit has seen an increase since 2023 of £2.32 a month.

Warwick has the most expensive local transport, with the price of a one-way ticket standing at £7 – followed by Durham (£5), and Lincoln (£4.75). The most affordable was the University of Stirling at £1.40 – followed by our two Surrey universities (University for the Creative Arts and University of Surrey) at £1.50. 

Whether you’re financially driven, career-prospecting or simply looking for the best place to be educated, our index should help make your decision ahead of the UCAS application deadline a little bit easier.

The help doesn’t stop there, once you’ve made your decision take a look at our 1st Year Checklist to ensure you’re well-prepared for your next adventure.

The post The Best Universities in the UK appeared first on RateMyPlacement.

So you’re back at uni, and into the swing of things. Only this time, you’ve got an application to get your head around too – your placement year application. 

We know how tough it is knowing what to apply for and when, especially with all those lectures and seminars popping up. So we’ve put together a placement year timeline to help you navigate your application journey with ease.

It’ll guide you through everything from application deadlines to interview prep, assessment centres to call-back days.

What’s in the timeline?

Well… many things. We’ve created this timeline to guide you through your placement year application, ramp up your employability and give you a step up on the career ladder.

Let’s take a sneak peek of what it all includes…

September – November: This is when we have the most roles live on RateMyPlacement. So now is the time to apply, apply, apply!

December – January: Every company differs, but most will invite you for first-stage interviews around this time. It can be tough, but our biggest advice is not to compare yourself to others. Everyone has a different journey to finding their placement.

February – April: You’ll start attending final interviews and assessment centres. Haven’t found your placement yet? There’s still time. We have roles going live all year round so keep your eyes peeled for any that take your fancy and apply as soon as you can.

May – August: Congrats! Now’s the time you’ll find out you’ve secured that placement. Next, you’ll need to find accommodation for the year ahead and apply for your maintenance loan.

Find all the information you need about what to do with your student finance and accommodation in our go-to guide to industrial placements.

The post The Ultimate Placement Year Timeline appeared first on RateMyPlacement.

A good mentor can provide advice, guidance and clarity at any stage of your career or life, whether you’re stuck on an assignment you just can’t get your head around or you’re an intern whose just taken your first step into the corporate world. 

But finding one is another story. So, where do you even begin? Before you just go and ask anyone to set up a random weekly call to chat about everything and anything, let’s look at what mentorship is, the benefits and how you can find one yourself.

• What is mentorship?
• Why it can be important for your career
• How to find a mentor
• Setting goals and expectations
• What do students say about their mentors

What is mentorship?

A mentorship is where a mentor, helps to support an individual with either personal or professional growth. Essentially, someone you can go to for advice, feedback and a general chit-chat about work.

You might already be familiar with mentoring already and have had some sort of mentoring whether with a lecturer or even your classmates or students in the years above you.

There are many different types of mentorships, let’s take a look at a few:

Group mentoring

A mentor works with multiple mentees in a group, meeting regularly to discuss relevant topics.

Peer mentoring

Working with someone of the same level to offer feedback, assess one another or even grading each other in certain assignments. 

Reverse mentoring

A two-way relationship where both the mentee and mentor benefit. It can help people gain confidence, try new experiences, and broaden their ideas.

Traditional mentoring

A more experienced mentor provides ongoing advice to a mentee, including guidance on career decisions and challenges.

So now you know what mentorship is, how will it help you? Let’s get into it.

Thinking about applying for placements in September? Here are:

Why it can be important for your career

Having a mentor can positively impact your career development, in more ways than you may think.

You want to make sure you’re taking full advantage of your placement year. Whether that’s learning loads, networking and setting yourself goals that you can achieve throughout your journey. A mentor will help with that.

General Support and Guidance 

Starting your placement is a DAUNTING experience, imposter syndrome is in full swing and you’re constantly doubting yourself in all facets.

Having a mentor for these exact reasons alone should convince you to look into finding one. 

A great mentor will:

• Provide a different perspective when you are being your biggest self-critic
• Motivate you to ask any enquiries you may have
• Push you to shout about new ideas
• Encourage you to be your passionate self. 

Think of a mentor as your personal agony aunt. Having this confidence to push yourself out of your comfort zone will not only leave you with more chances to get involved in so many key business projects but even more experiences and opportunities to talk about, in your coursework, in interviews and to put on your CV!

How to find a mentor

Firstly, think about whether you actually need a mentor. There are plenty of ways to decide this. You should always consider what you want from your work experience. Ask yourself some of the following questions…

• Are you someone who can flourish on your own or would you prefer a little guidance?
• Do you have the means to actively find out about other parts of the business, without a mentor?
• Are you going to learn something new?
• Do you think you’ll need advice during your work experience?

It may be a good idea to speak with your manager and see if they have anyone in mind who would be good to mentor you. You may find that some of your colleagues did a placement year themselves which is a really good starting point when deciding who to ask.

What to look for in a mentor and how to reach out

Explore possible mentors, a way to do this is to always have it in the back of your mind when meeting new people that you work with, will you be able to learn from them? Is there specific knowledge I can gain from talking with them?

Ask someone you also think you’ll get along with. We 100% don’t want awkward meetings or your mentoring sessions being something you dread. So our advice is to base it on friendships or positive connections you’ve made within the company. But equally don’t choose someone you talk to every day.

Reaching out is the easy part! The worst that could happen is they’ll say no, BUT at least you tried.

Don’t forget, they’ll only ever say no if they feel as though they don’t have the time – it’s not you, it’s them.

Setting goals and expectations

You may be thinking, what can I expect from a mentor if I get one? Setting goals is a great way to start mentorship meetings, these goals could be around:

• What would you like to get out of your placement or internship?
• Are there certain metrics you’d like to hit in the year?
• Is there a fear you want to get over? For example, public speaking

You can then treat these meetings as catch-ups on where you are at with your goals, and if there’s anything your mentor can do to ensure they are achievable. 

Make sure that these goals fit the SMART Objectives format for the best chance of success. Discussing them with your mentor will not only allow you to set the right goals for you but will also hold you accountable.

Here’s what SMART Objectives stands for: 

S – Specific 

M – Measurable

A – Achievable

R – Relevant

T – Time Based

TOP TIP
Make sure to write these goals down, so that when it comes to writing your university coursework or updating your CV you can remember what you’ve achieved throughout your work experience.

Counting down the days to move back to university? Attending freshers and careers fairs might be the last thing on your mind. But here’s Why You Should Go to A Careers Fair

What do students say about their mentors?

“Having a mentor has been a game changer. It’s great for someone like me who has a million questions that may sound “too stupid” to ask in meetings. I’ve asked my mentor just about everything from how a certain software works to what to wear to the work party.

They’re fantastic for getting to grips with the company culture, how things operate, and who does what. Especially if you’re on a placement year, their pot of experience is going to be so much fuller than yours and you’ll end up learning things 10x faster!“

Rhea, RateMyPlacement Campaigns Placement Student

“Getting a mentor is so much easier than I thought it would be, literally asked him and he agreed. It’s so useful to have someone outside of your direct working circle to address any struggles or celebrate successes as they act like a third body.

I would definitely recommend getting one as you can learn about things you wouldn’t necessarily have otherwise if they are in a different team. And most importantly, it’s just nice to have someone else to rely on and ask those silly questions you don’t feel you can ask anyone else.”

Lucy, RateMyPlacement Marketing Placement Student

There are 1001 bits to tick off your list when it comes to preparing for work experience, make sure that finding a mentor is one of your top priorities – it’ll make your experience extra special. 

Good luck!

The post What Is A Mentor And How To Find One appeared first on RateMyPlacement.

For many, university can be an exciting but daunting chapter of life. Thinking about all the opportunities and experiences you’ll have is going to be a huge plus, but this can become slightly overshadowed by anxiety. 

Here are some ways you can help manage these fears to allow yourself to have the best time at uni.

• Missing friends and family
• Making new friends and keeping up With old ones
• Breaking bad habits
• Don’t be afraid to ask for help

Missing friends and family

Almost everyone I spoke to at university in my first year shared the common fear of really missing friends and family and worrying about the amount of time away from them. Especially if they’re living away from home for the first time. 

I thought a lot about how I would be able to make friends and change my habits of seeing family every day, as I had previously lived at home. 

The best advice for this is: 

• Try and understand that loads of people are in the same boat. You’ll most likely not know anyone there and that’s ok because neither does anyone else!

• Consider what you can do to give yourself home comforts, even something as simple as a warm cup of tea in the evening or joining a dog walking society if you are missing pets from home.

Making new friends and keeping up with old ones

Try pushing out of your comfort zone as much as you can by going to freshers’ fairs, meeting accommodation house/flatmates, and attending societies (this in particular even if you decide not to go in the long run, you’ll meet some amazing people).

ON THAT NOTE… don’t be afraid to ask for people’s social media. Everyone will be doing the same thing. If it doesn’t even go beyond an add or a follow, that’s okay. But you don’t want to regret not being able to contact a potential new friend.

Scheduling when you’ll next talk to or meet loved ones from home is also a really good way to put your mind at ease as you know you’ll be talking to them soon and have something to look forward to if you are struggling. 

You might even end up going to the same university with some of your friends from home. While it will be nice to see familiar faces, don’t let that accidentally stop you from meeting new people. Maybe set a date in a few weeks to get together and talk about all your experiences so far.

It’s finally here, move-in date secured. Heres…

Breaking Bad Habits

For many, university is the first time being independent and self-reliant, so enjoy it! Make sure to look after yourself and become your own accountability tracker.

If you find yourself getting into the habit of not going to lectures for example, I would suggest at least trying to go to the library or leaving your accommodation during the week (not just leaving to go food shopping or for a sweet treat).

I joined university slightly later than everybody else and I was afraid everyone would have already made friends without me.

Throughout your time at university, you’ll find that friendship groups and people individually are always changing and evolving. I found that simply just saying yes to every social opportunity offered to me was helpful as it pushed me out of my comfort zone and exposed me to new people and situations.

One thing I love about university is that, unlike high school, there are no “popular people” (there are literally thousands of people at uni), so you can start fresh without judgment.

Never do anything that makes you feel unsafe or pressured. If you’re able to, try and excuse yourself to leave or reach out to anybody else, university officials or safety officers for support in your situation.

More on mental health and what you can actively do to look after yourself

Don’t Be Afraid To Ask For Help

If you are finding you are struggling, even in the first couple of days, and don’t know who to turn to, remind yourself that there is help and support out there. 

Universities will have support initiatives and professionals that will be able to help you, don’t be afraid to ask! There is nothing wrong with asking for help from a university.

You definitely won’t be the first or last person to ask for support, you are not alone. Even an email to the relevant team is a great step towards getting support.

Universities will always have services for you if you’re not doing too great and need a little help. Here are some of those:

All in all, university can be the best three years of your life. Just remember that you’ll ALWAYS have people around to support and guide you—just reach out! 

The post Looking After Your Mental Health At University appeared first on RateMyPlacement.